Essential persuasion tools for internal communication

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs 2.0

I’m a little bit Pavlovian when it comes to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Every time I see it, I have an urgent need to share it with communicators. This is driven in part by the blank looks from managers, or worse still, communicators I have occasionally encountered when talking to them about engagement. Yet this is one of the fundamental ‘ways of knowing’ that informs our communication practice.

That’s why this post from the the clever content marketers, curators and link-baitering masters at Buffer caught my eye. They have curated 10 very useful theories of persuasion, including Maslow’s Hierarchy and the Reciprocity Norm. These are all useful for communicators.

I’d be interested to hear about what models you find most useful. Add your suggestions in the comments.